New Dragon Rider
by DizzyMoonDragon
Summary: **MINIMAL SPOILERS OF HTTYD 2 MOVIE (CONTINUED 3 YEARS AFTER HTTYD 2)** While re-exploring Berk, Hiccup and Toothless come across a stranger and her Night Fury. Can she teach Hiccup more about Night Furies? And what is she running from? K rating
1. Chapter 1: The Flight Before The Find

Chapter 1: The Flight before the Find

The wind was beginning to pick up as they flew through the clouds. The tree line zipped underneath them as they swerved around the rocks that made up the Isle of Berk. Toothless grumbled quietly and Hiccup smiled.

"What's wrong bud? Getting tired?" he asked, and Toothless made a scoffing sound, and picked up speed. Hiccup laughed, the wind whipping through the holes in his helmet. They spiralled upwards into the cloud and broke through, the wind slowing down but Toothless speeding up. Hiccup laughed and held out his arms to touch the clouds. Almost 8 years of this and each flight still took his breath away. Toothless dropped below the clouds, diving for the sea. Hiccup yelled and Toothless pulled up at the last second, making the noise Hiccup had accepted as laughter. Hiccup gently bopped Toothless on the head.

"Don't do that" he said, trying not to laugh.

Toothless came up higher, flying in line with the shore. They had passed Berk and were approaching the back of Berk. They had been in the sky most of the morning, and the sun was nearing the middle of the sky. Hiccup decided to see if Toothless wanted to stop.

"What do you think buddy? Time to go back for lunch?" he asked, reaching down to pet Toothless' head, but he growled and stopped flying, instead hovering in place.

"Toothless? What is it?" he asked, before he realised Toothless was focused on something in the distance, and Hiccup raised his eyes. His green eyes widened as he saw what Toothless was looking at.

A billow of smoke was rising from the forest. It wasn't a forest fire, which was a relief, but as the chief of Berk, Hiccup knew where his men were meant to be, and no-one should be in the forest on this side of the Isle.

"Come on bud, let's take a look" Hiccup said quietly, and Toothless began moving towards the smoke. Once they got close to where the smoke was billowing, Toothless landed in a nearby tree, his claws tightening around the branch, still growling. Hiccup looked over his friend's head, and saw no-one near the fire that was still burning. Hiccup turned, flipping up the visor on his helmet, and looked around them on the ground. There were footprints left in the soft dirt around the fire, and he knew someone was close.

A loud crack tore through the silence, and Toothless' growl grew louder. Hiccup braced himself as Toothless arched, ready to pounce. Another crack echoed and Hiccup realised someone was walking through the forest. He started being able to hear footsteps, and he felt Toothless getting ready to shot a plasma blast. There was a final crack and someone broke through the tree line. All Hiccup could see from where he was standing was a fluffy hood and for a moment he thought it was Astrid and his heart stopped. She was the last person he needed to see right now, but then he realised that this person was taller than Astrid, and they were walking back to the fire. Toothless' growls quietened and he turned his head slightly to look at Hiccup. Hiccup nodded and Toothless fell quietly to the ground, but somehow the person heard him and whirled around. Hiccup's eyes widened as they locked eyes with him. It was a girl.


	2. Chapter 2: Another One

Chapter 2: Another One

The girl looked at Hiccup and he looked back. Toothless' growls were quiet, but the two people continued to watch each other. Slowly, Hiccup unhooked his peg leg from Toothless' saddle and slid off his dragon. Toothless shook himself slightly. The girl's eyes hadn't left his the whole time and it was starting to make Hiccup feel uncomfortable. He pulled his helmet off slowly and out of habit readjusted his hair. The girl was now looking at Toothless, but the expression in her eyes wasn't fear. It was shock.

"Umm, hi? Hello?" Hiccup said and the girl's eyes returned to his. Her dark blue eyes almost seemed hypnotising, and he kept talking.

"I'm Hiccup, chief of the village Berk, which is like…right over there." he said, motioning behind him the way he and Toothless had flown in from. The girl frowned slightly.

"There's a village nearby?"

"Yeah, you must have seen it when your boat landed? Unless you came from the other direction I guess" Hiccup replied, and the girl shook her head.

"I didn't see a village because I didn't get here by sea" she said, walking slowly towards Toothless. Toothless growled softly, but as the girl got closer they quietened until he wasn't growling at all. The girl bent down in front of him, and Toothless nuzzled close to her face. The girl laughed and patted Toothless.

"How did you do that?" Hiccup asked, knowing full well Toothless didn't take to strangers easily.

"It was easy. I know these dragons" she said, before her eyes widened and she looked at Hiccup.

"Did you see another dragon around while you were hiding in the tree?" she inquired, and Hiccup felt his face redden.

"I wasn't hiding. I was scoping the area"

"Yeah, that's called hiding" she said, and Toothless looked at Hiccup with a knowing look, and Hiccup frowned at him.

"Shut up Toothless" he said, and Toothless gave his mocking laugh. He turned his attention back to the girl, who was watching Toothless.

"Toothless?" she said, and he turned his head to lick her face. She laughed.

"Why did you ask about another dragon?" Hiccup asked, taking a step closer to the girl. She looked up at him, and smiled.

"Because my dragon went off to get food. She hasn't eaten in a few days" she said, and Toothless flopped onto the ground next to her, rolling over to expose his tummy for a scratch. She laughed and complied.

"You have a dragon? I thought only people on Berk flew dragons" Hiccup said, frowning slightly.

"Have you ever left Berk?" the girl asked.

"Yes"

"Have you travelled to the Timberlands?" she said, and Hiccup shook his head.

"Then how do you know that no-one else rides dragons?" she asked, still looking at Hiccup.

"You mean there's more people out there that ride dragons? Where you come from?" he asked eagerly, and sadness flickered across the girl's face.

"No. There's no-one left where I came from" she said quietly, and Toothless raised his head to look at her.

"Where did you-" Hiccup started to ask, but was interrupted by a screaming dragon call. Toothless leapt to his feet in front of Hiccup in a protective stance. The girl jumped to her feet, turning in the direction of the sound. The sound of wings were getting closer, and Hiccup grabbed his sword, ready just in case. But as soon as he saw the dragon, his sword fell to the ground and his jaw dropped. He knew it, he had known all along, and now he was right.

The dragon landed on the ground gently, growling. The girl ran to the dragon, gently cooing and holding out her hand to calm it. The dragon closed its eyes, moving its head closer into the girl's hand. The dragon. The girl turned slowly towards Hiccup, who was still in shock.

"This is my dragon. And as you can see, she's a Night Fury".


	3. Chapter 3: Two Night Furies, Two Riders

Chapter 3: Two Night Furies, Two Riders

"You…you have a Night Fury?" Hiccup said, still in awe. Slowly he took in the dragon's appearance. She was a lighter black than Toothless, with darker markings on her side. Her eyes were a beautiful light blue that reminded Hiccup of the sky early in the morning. She looked more feminine then Toothless, and Hiccup remembered the girl had called her dragon a girl.

"Yes. So do you" the girl said, her hand resting on her dragon's head.

Hiccup couldn't speak, only nod.

"Her name is Sora" the girl said, before adding "and my name is Scout Askertill".

"Sora…" Hiccup echoed, and the dragon looked at him. He had to admit, while Toothless was a magnificent dragon, Sora was a beautiful dragon. He moved slowly towards her, and Sora looked at Scout, who nodded.

As Hiccup approached, Sora moved out slightly towards him. Hiccup stopped, and she kept walking until she was right in front of him, staring at him. Sora reminded Hiccup of her owner. Then Sora saw Toothless. Her eyes widened and she back away a few steps.

"Sora, it's alright" Scout said, moving to be by her dragon's side. Sora stopped moving, and stayed close to Scout.

"Maybe bring Toothless closer?" Scout suggested, and Hiccup motioned for Toothless to come to his side. Soon they were all opposite each other, Hiccup and Toothless next to each other as they had always been, and Sora and Scout.

Sora seemed more at ease with Toothless, but hadn't broke her eye contact with Toothless. He had done the same. Both riders watched their dragons to see what happened next. Slowly, Toothless moved out, moving slowly like a cat until he had covered half of the distance between them. Sora looked at him, at what distance was left, then she looked at Scout. Scout smiled encouragingly and Sora slowly moved forward.

Toothless sat, watching Sora slowly approach. Once she was close enough, Sora sat too, mimicking Toothless. Both riders laughed. The two dragons watched each other carefully, then quickly Sora darted her head forward, pressing her nose quickly against Toothless'. She then turned and ran, hiding behind Scout. Toothless' eyes widened and he hid behind Hiccup. Scout started laughing and Hiccup joined in, both their dragons looking at their riders as though they'd lost their minds.

A few minutes passed and the laughter faded. Hiccup wiped his eyes and looked at the newcomers again. Scout was calming down and Sora looked unimpressed, but when she looked at Toothless she looked almost bashful. Toothless, for his part, was making almost the same expression.

Once Scout was able to breathe again, Hiccup decided to ask her more questions.

"Where are you from? Where did you find Sora? What did you-" he kept asking, and Scout looked at him.

"You have a lot of questions" she stated, and Hiccup grinned.

"I did say I was a chief didn't I? A new girl arrives and she has a Night Fury. Of course I have questions" he stated, and Scout nodded.

"A fair point. Am I allowed to make my lunch before you interrogate me, chief?" Scout joked, and Hiccup blushed. She started to move back to her fire when he spoke again.

"Why don't you come back to the village? It's almost lunch time" he said, and she stopped. She turned to face him slowly, chewing her bottom lip. Hiccup heart skipped a beat, but he ignored it.

"I don't know about that" she said, drifting off. She glanced at Sora, who blinked and tilted her head.

"It wouldn't be any trouble. We always have too much food anyway" he said, and Toothless nudged him.

"And I think Toothless would like it if Sora joined us" he said, hoping that would make Scout's decision. It worked.

Scout sighed quietly, then nodded and smiled.

"It might be nice to eat with actual people, not just a dragon for once" she said, and Hiccup smiled.

"I'll show you the way" he said, putting his helmet back on and swinging onto Toothless' back. Scout nodded, doing the same on Sora. Hiccup nudged Toothless' sides gently and they took off back to Berk.


	4. Chapter 4: Landing At Berk

Chapter 4: Landing at Berk

Once they'd almost reached Berk, Hiccup turned to the left to look at the newcomers. Scout's blonde hair was whipping around her head, whirling around in its ponytail. She had a smile on her face, and then she flicked her eyes to meet his. He felt his chest squeeze, knowing he'd been caught. She narrowed her eyes slightly but smiled. Hiccup pulled Toothless up a bit to slow him down, and Scout flew closer.

"Where are we landing?" she called out over the wind.

Hiccup sat up straighter in his saddle.

"I don't know. I'd say in the middle of town like normal but that might freak you out"

"Why would that freak me out?" Scout called, moving Sora slightly closer.

"Because it's a village you don't know and you have a Night Fury too…" he said, trailing off.

Scout frowned.

"Where else could we land?" she said.

Hiccup thought for a moment, but couldn't think of another place. Scout rolled her eyes.

"I guess it's landing in the middle of town then right?" she said, and Hiccup nodded. Toothless murmured and Sora made a chirping noise. Hiccup smiled, and they kept flying. As they neared Berk, Hiccup watching Scout to make sure she wouldn't freak out. Instead, she looked somewhere between nervous and excited. Her eyes were wide and bright, but she was still chewing her bottom lip, looking like she was about to smile. He could understand why she was nervous, but he knew everything would be alright.

They approach the centre of town, and people in the area all looked up and started gasping and pointing. Toothless landed gently on the ground, Sora at his side. Hiccup slid off Toothless, removing his helmet, and waiting for Scout to get down. When she did, he saw she was now more nervous. People starting moving forward and Sora started to panic. Scout sensed this and moved to comfort her. From the crowd broke through Valka.

"Hiccup, where were you? It's almost time for lunch and-" Valka started, but stopped when she saw Scout and Sora. She gasped, moving quickly towards Sora, who growled but fell onto her back, purring. Hiccup smiled, remembering how she had done the same thing to Toothless when they'd first met. Scout's eyes widened slightly and she looked at Valka, who laughed.

"Don't worry child, I won't do the same to you" she said, still laughing. Scout laughed nervously, shooting a glance at Hiccup, who stepped in.

"Mum, this is Scout. Scout, this is my mum, Valka" he said, and Scout relaxed and smiled at Valka.

"Hello. Hiccup found me and told me about Berk" Scout said, and Valka nodded, kneeling down to pet Sora, who had rolled onto her stomach.

"He told you we ride dragons?" Valka said, and Scout nodded.

"I'm not sure he believed me when I said I did too" Scout responded, and Valka smiled.

"You do have a beautiful dragon Scout. And her name is?" Valka asked. If Scout was surprised that Valka knew Sora was a girl, she didn't show it.

"Her name is Sora" she replied, and Sora murmured in response, her light blue eyes locking onto Valka's.

"That's a beautiful name" Valka said, and Scout smiled again.

"In my village, Sora means 'songbird'. I thought it was nice" Scout said, and Sora rose and nudged Scout's face with her nose. Everyone laughed, and Valka rose to her feet.

"You look hungry. Would you like some lunch?" She asked, glancing quickly between Hiccup and Scout. "I assume that's why Hiccup invited you back here, that and your dragon" Valka added, to which Scout and Hiccup nodded.

"Then come this way" Valka said, indicating the direction of the Hall. Scout glanced at Hiccup briefly before following her, Sora by her side. Hiccup started to follow when he saw Astrid near the front of the crowd. They made eye contact, then Astrid looked away. Hiccup wished things hadn't gotten so complicated. Toothless bumped into him and he followed the girls up the hill to the hall.


	5. Chapter 5: Story of A Stranger

Chapter 5: Story of a Stranger

They entered the Hall, and the people already in there started to whisper and point. Sora seemed to be taking it better, and Scout looked less nervous. They walked past Hiccup's friends, who were all staring with their mouths wide open, but Hiccup suspected only Ruffnut was looking at Sora. Valka sat at the head table, and patted the seat next to her for Scout. Scout smiled softly and sat, Sora lying down at her side. Hiccup took the seat on the other side of Valka, Toothless mimicking Sora's position. Valka took 2 bowls of food being bought around by Gobber, whose eyes widened when he saw Sora, and Scout laughed. He smiled and continued walking, his peg leg clunking on the ground. Scout and Hiccup started to eat while Valka asked questions.

"What brings you this side of the Isle?" she asked, and Scout swallowed before replying.

"I was just flying, I had no plan, and I just flew. Well, Sora flew" she said, and Valka nodded.

"Where are you from originally?" Valka asked, and Hiccup jumped in.

"You said Timberlands didn't you?" he said, and Scout nodded.

"The Timberlands? You live in the forest?" Valka asked, and Scout lowered her eyes.

"I used to" she said, and the door to the hall opened again. Hiccup looked up, and immediately looked away. It was Astrid again. She took a bowl from Gobber and sat down with the other young adults, sitting close to Fishlegs. She didn't look at Hiccup, and he started pushing the food around on his plate. When he did look up he saw Scout watching him and he quickly shovelled food into his mouth.

"You used to? You don't anymore? Did your people move?" Valka asked.

"No, it….it's just me now. Me and Sora" Scout said muttered, lowering her spoon. Valka's eyes softened and she placed her hand on Scout's shoulder.

"I'm sure it's hard being the last one in a village" Valka said, and Scout nodded, tilting her head so her hair fell over her face.

"I was 13" she started quietly. Then she began to talk, and she spoke louder, and everyone in the hall stopped to listen.

"I was 13 when my village was attacked. My father, Torx the Trusting, was the chief, and my mother Belna took care of everyone as a healer. My village was happy. We were kind and never hurt anyone, we were always taking care of travellers like you are now, but it seems some thought we were push-overs. A group of looters pretending to be traders came into the inlet one day to offer business, but I think they were just there to look at what we had. We didn't have much, but we had these beautiful stones that we would find in the coves nearby. I think my father was too trusting to show them, but he did. And the next night they returned with 3 more ships." Scout paused, and took a deep breath. Sora lifted her head and put it on Scout's lap, and she placed her hand on Sora's head and continued.

"They burned everything. We didn't have time to save anyone or anything. Before we knew it everything was burning. People were screaming, I can still hear them screaming when I try to sleep." Scout's eyes starting turning glassy, and everyone was focused on her. No-one moved and no-one spoke. Hiccup stole a glance at Astrid and saw she was just as engrossed in the story as everyone else was. Funny how things change.

"They stole the stones. All of them. But they raided our homes to find more before they burned them. People were running everywhere, it was a wonder people weren't already hurting each other. But then they started taking people prisoner, and my father told me to hide. I didn't want to, I thought I could fight them. That's when we all heard the dragon. It was huge and almost the same colour as the night, but it wasn't a Night Fury. I still don't know what it was, but I know it tried to pick me up. That's how I got these" she said, and moved her hair so they could see the 4 claw marks on the side of her neck. Some people gasped and Hiccup felt saddened. Scout continued with her story.

"My father shot at it and it dropped me, but it dropped me near a burning house. My coat caught alight and my father ran to help me, my mother behind him. That's when it dropped a massive fireball, and something exploded. I still don't what it was. I just know when I woke up I was alone. The houses were burned down, and I couldn't hear out of my right ear. I started crying, I think I started screaming. I didn't know what happened to my parents, but there were bodies-" she choked, and took a moment to recover.

"I saw something move in the shadows and I thought it was another looter so I grabbed a bit of wood to defend myself, and it was Sora. I don't know if she heard me crying or screaming, but she was there. When she came towards me I thought she was going to kill me, and for a moment I wished she would, but she didn't. She took me and flew me away. I haven't been back since." She finished, and Sora hummed. Everyone was still silent, until Valka spoke.

"Scout, I am so sorry. That must have been so hard to be alone so young" she said, and Scout smiled sadly.

"It's only been 10 years, and I wasn't alone. I had my best friend with me" she said, petting Sora. Hiccup smiled softly, knowing how she felt. He had felt alone before he found Toothless, but Scout and Sora had been together 2 years longer. He couldn't imagine being alone so long.

"Perhaps you could stay with us for a while? We have plenty of room and food, you're welcome to stay" Hiccup offered, and Scout looked at him.

"I wouldn't want to be a nuisance" and someone in the crowd scoffed. Hiccup looked for the person, but no-one appeared to be making fun. Valka nodded and took Scout's hand.

"It would be an honour to house the Lady of the Timberlands and her Night Fury" she said, and people gasped again. Scout's eyes widened slightly.

"My mother was the Lady of the Timberlands, not me. I never received the title from the village elder" she said, and Valka laughed gently.

"The title is yours, village elder or not" she said, and Scout lowered her eyes, her cheeks turning red. Sora made a noise of agreement and Scout smiled.

"I still feel like it is her title until I earn it" Scout said, and she looked at Valka and Hiccup could see the determination in her eyes.

"I know child, and I'm sure you will. I'm sure both of your parents are proud of you" Valka said, causing Scout to blink a few times. Hiccup wasn't sure if she was hiding tears.

Valka then rose, Hiccup and Scout doing the same.

"I'm sure you're exhausted from your travels. I'm sure we have an unoccupied hut on Berk somewhere, right Hiccup?" Valka said, turning to face her son, giving a slight nod.

Hiccup nodded quickly.

"I'm sure we have plenty" he added, and Scout smiled softly.

"I'd hate to bother you all" she said and Valka laughed, placing her hand on Scout's shoulder.

"It's alright, it's no trouble. We have plenty of room for a traveller and her dragon" she said, petting Sora, who purred.

Hiccup moved forward slightly.

"I can show you to an empty hut now if you like?" he asked, and Scout nodded.

"Thank you all very much for hosting me and allowing me a seat at your table" Scout said, and Valka smiled.

"Such manners are welcome, your parents taught you well" she said, before smiling at them both and walking away to speak with other villagers.

Hiccup started walking, followed by Scout and the dragons. He made sure to not look at Astrid, but he could feel her eyes on him as they walked past.


	6. Chapter 6: The Island for Talking

Chapter 6: The Island for Talking

It had been 2 days since Scout arrived, and the villagers were still curious. Many of the children asked her for stories of her travels, and she amused them. Hiccup hoped her stories weren't all true, but the children loved it. It turns out she was bright as well, and helped Gobber when he got too busy. Hiccup spent most his time away from Berk for now, and he had found an isolated island nearby with Toothless, which was where Scout found him.

She slid gracefully off Sora's back and walked over to him, the chains on her belt rattling as they knocked against her thigh shield on her right leg. The dragons wandered around, playing. Scout sat down next to him and for a moment neither of them said anything. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. Her blonde hair caught the sunlight, and she was playing with the fur guards on her wrists. The sun shone off her fur hood, and her yellow shirt almost glowed in the afternoon light. She cleared her throat and adjusted her brown tights.

"Your mother is looking for you" she said, still not looking at him.

"She always is" he said, going back to looking at the clouds. They were silent for a few moments more before she spoke again.

"Can I ask you what happened between you and that other girl? I forgot her name. The blonde one?"

Playing dumb, Hiccup said "Ruffnut? No, nothing happened between us"

"Not Ruffnut, I know who Ruffnut is. The other girl. Astrid isn't it?"

Hiccup's shoulders shot up at her name.

"I knew it, something happened" Scout said, and he looked at her.

"We were together but she ended it. Is that alright with you?" he snapped, and Scout just blinked, straight-faced.

"Yeah it is, but you avoiding her like a wounded animal is no way to get over it"

Hiccup laughed.

"Oh so is this where you tell me a fantastic story of yours about love?" he said sarcastically.

"No, this is where you tell me what happened" she said, her blue eyes drilling into his.

Hiccup made a scoffing sound and sighed.

"After….after my dad died, I took on the role of chief. With myself as chief and Toothless the new dragon Alpha, I thought everything would be fine. But it was hard work. I knew it would be but it was harder than I thought. Soon, I was busy all day and all night almost, sleeping when I could. After a while I guess she got sick of it, and she told me I got boring. She ended it a year ago. And…and I guess I still miss her" he finished, turning his head slightly so his hair would cover his eyes.

They sat in silence again, Hiccup watching the dragons and Scout pulling up grass to twirl between her fingers.

"I liked a boy in my village" she said, and Hiccup turned his head slightly to face her.

"I really did. I'm not sure it was love but I liked him. I was too scared to tell him how I felt. Then my village was destroyed and I never saw him again. That's when I decided that it was better to tell people what I thought and felt before I couldn't" she said, and Hiccup frowned, processing her words.

They sat there for a while, speaking every now and then, but Hiccup couldn't get her words out of his head.


	7. Chapter 7: The Burning Mountain

Chapter 7: The Burning Mountain

The sun was hanging low on the horizon and they were gathered outside around a fire pit. Everyone had come out, and they were all laughing and the couples were spinning each other around. Hiccup was sitting by his mother's side, and Scout was teaching the younger girls how to thread the wildflowers together to make a chain for their hair. Valka and Hiccup were talking about the new things that Scout had taught him about Night Furies.

She had shown him how much they loved water, taking Hiccup and Toothless to a huge waterfall. They had ducked through the water, both riders getting soaked with water, and laughing. It made Hiccup feel like a weight had been lifted. He realised he needed someone to help him remember how to laugh. She had also shown him how to make a paste from various trees and flowers that helped speed up the healing of wounds. In return, he showed her how to extend Sora's back spines for the tighter turns, a trick he was shown by Valka. They raced around the rocks and cliffs that made up Berk, always managing to lose Snoutlout who kept trying to show Scout his 'battle scars'.

The fire was growing, being added to by Toothless' purple flame and Sora's yellow one. Hiccup and Scout had discovered this colour difference when both dragons went to shot the same tree as target practise and the colours collided, forming sparks. Both dragons looked shocked and their riders had laughed. As the sparks from the fire shot away, Hiccup watched his people. They were happy, dancing and laughing together, and he wondered if seeing this saddened Scout. He knew they'd had large dances and feasts, she had told him, but she wouldn't have seen one for some time.

The sun had settled on the horizon when they heard the shouts. Hiccup and Valka shot to their feet, and the laughing stopped. One of the men who was to protect the border charged through the tree, yelling for Hiccup. Everyone turned to face him, and Scout rose slowly to her feet too, shooting Hiccup and his mother a worried glance.

The man slowed in front of Hiccup and took a few deep breaths.

"There are men, and ships coming this way" he said, coughing.

"Not out ships?" Hiccup said, and the man shook his head.

"No, their flags bear the image of a burning mountain" he said, and people gasped. Hiccup turned to look at his people, and that's when he saw Scout's face. Her face was as white as snow, and she was covering her mouth with her hand. Hiccup walked over to her quickly.

"Scout? What's wrong?" but she didn't respond, just shook her head. He gently took her hand from her mouth and turned her head to look at his.

"Scout?" he asked gently, and her eyes filled with tears.

"The men" she started quietly.

"The men that burned my village had that image on their ships" she said, and the tears spilled over. Everyone in the village began screaming and panicking at the same time, and Hiccup tried to calm them. No-one listened to his pleading, until Gobber yelled for them to be silent. Hiccup nodded to him, and climbed on the edge of the fire pit, away from the flames.

"I know what you just heard, and I know we're all scared. But we're not going to let them take our village. We will fight, and we will use our dragons. This is their home too, and they will defend it by our side" he said, and people started murmuring.

"They don't know that we know yet. We can still set traps for them" Hiccup added, and someone yelled from the crowd that he was right. Gobber announced he would be handing out new weapons, and the men and shield-maidens ran to the smithy to retrieve weapons. The children were ushered into a group to be taken into the woods. Valka moved forward to command the riders, and Hiccup moved back to Scout.

"I need you and Sora to go with the children" he said, and she looked at him. Any sign that she had been upset was gone, only the streaks from the tears remained. Instead, her jaw was clenched, and she looked angry.

"I'm not going anywhere where I can't help defend Berk" she said stubbornly, and Hiccup frowned.

"No, you're going with the children. They need more defence than we do"

"But-" she started, but Hiccup cut her off by covering her mouth with his hand.

"Go with the children" he ordered. Scout slapped his arm away and walked away, picking up her halberd as she passed it. She stopped near the tree line next to the children, and turned back to look at Hiccup, her face looked sad, but she stood tall.

"Good luck Hiccup" she said, and vanished into the trees, the children following her.

"Good luck Scout" he whispered, before turning to retrieve his sword. Toothless looked at him, puzzled.

"I know what you're thinking bud, but what if when they attack she freezes? If she has the children she should be able to focus" Toothless made a scoffing sound and Hiccup frowned at him.

"What? Should I have made her stay?" he asked, and Toothless made a sound that was almost like a yes.

"Well I did what I thought was right, and as chief what I say is what happens" Hiccup said, moving off to find his mother.

The logs in the fire pit snapped and crackled, the light slowly dying.


	8. Chapter 8: The Docking

Chapter 8: The Demands

Hiccup ran to edge of the island, where the men and shield maidens were crouching behind wooden panels. He crouched down next to them, and peeked over the edge. With the dying sun, Hiccup was able to see the outline of a ship, and the outline of the burning mountain emblem they flew. He ducked back down and found everyone looking at him. He had to think fast about what to do.

"Here's the plan: we let them dock-" and whispers of outrage came from the group. He raised his hands to silence them.

"Listen: we let them dock, they come up here where they think we are, and half of us and our dragons will surround them and ask them what they want. While that happens, the other half of you will set up position around us, hiding in the shadows ready to jump in if something happens. Keep your dragons close, we can use them. We give them the option of leaving peacefully or us making them leave. Either way, we won't let what happen to Scout's village happen to Berk, okay?" he finishes, and the group murmured in agreement.

Quickly, Hiccup split the group, half staying with him and the other half running into the shadows. Hiccup took one last look over the barricade, and saw the boat was almost at the dock. He rose slightly, bent at the knees and walked over to his position, Toothless by his side.

When the known looters arrived in the centre of Berk, they found Hiccup sitting on the edge of the fire pit, Toothless at his left side and his mother on his right. Half of the town members' stood just within the shadows, with just enough moonlight to illuminate them. Mother and son both fixed the group of men with serious faces, Toothless growling just loud enough for them to hear. For a moment no-one moved or spoke, both parties just sizing up the other, until one of the looters stepped forward.

"I have to say I wasn't expecting a welcome party, but this is a glum reception" he said, flashing an easy grin. His hair was long and fell over his face. He couldn't have been much older than Hiccup.

"We had no idea you were coming" Hiccup said, and the man laughed.

"I doubt that boy. Now where's your chief?" he asked, looking around.

"Right here" Hiccup said, sitting up a little straighter, Toothless mimicking him. The man sized him up then nodded.

"Fine. We're here for someone. And don't bother saying they're not here because I know they are and I know their dragon is too" he said, looking bored.

"Everyone on Berk has a dragon, you'll have to be a bit more specific" Hiccup replied, and the other men whispered amongst themselves.

Their leader raised his hand and they fell silent. He tilted his head, hid dark hair tipping over his face.

"You're a bit annoying you know" the man snarled narrowing his eyes.

Hiccup didn't respond, just stared at the man.

"I think we may get on better if I knew your name?" the man said, and Hiccup still remained silent.

"If it helps to be more specific, _chief_, my name is Alrek the Afflictive, and I am looking for Scout and her Night Fury"


	9. Chapter 9: Find Her

Chapter 9: Find Her

Hiccup felt his stomach sink as the man's words sank in. They wanted Scout. Hiccup had no idea why. The looters wouldn't want her because she may have been a criminal because they were hardly good themselves. Hiccup was still trying to conceive why they would want her when Alrek spoke again.

"I know she's here, and I want her to come from wherever she's hiding and give me what is mine" he said, walking towards Hiccup. Hiccup and Valka watched him closely, Toothless' growls growing louder the closer he got to them. When Alrek was in close enough, Hiccup could see the scar that ran from his hairline to his lips on his left side, a scar which his hair covered. He had all the makings of someone that meant business, but Hiccup couldn't just hand her over without knowing why.

"If she was here, why would you want her?" he asked, and Alrek frowned.

"I told you, she has something of mine" he said, kicking a log in the fire pit, causing a spark to land on Toothless' wing. In an instant Toothless' back was hunched and a roar was echoing in his throat. Alrek's eyes widened slightly and he stepped back, but Hiccup intercepted.

"Toothless, don't" he said simply, and Toothless' growl quietened and he lowered himself slightly, but he didn't take his large green eyes off Alrek.

Alrek cleared his throat.

"Another Night Fury? I couldn't see him so well" he said, adjusted his arm shield, and Hiccup smiled inside. _He's afraid. _Hiccup decided to keep Alrek talking while he was distracted to try and get some useful information.

"So why do you want her? And I'm not saying she's here" Hiccup said, and Alrek's eyes flicked from Toothless to Hiccup, and back to Toothless.

"She has something of mine" he replied, and Hiccup sighed.

"Yes you said that already" and Valka stepped in.

"What my son means to say is what is it that she has that you want so badly?" she asked, and Alrek's face twisted into anger.

"That's no concern of yours! What she took and what will happen is none of your business" he snarled, nostrils flaring. Hiccup stood to his feet, Toothless following.

"Given that she is my friend and is a guest of this village it _is _my business" Hiccup said loudly, and his villagers stood straighter to their chief. Valka raised her head proudly.

Alrek's face calmed down, but the look of anger had not left his eyes.

"You're not my chief" he said, and grabbed a still slowly burning log from the fire pit and threw it onto a newbie hut. A pile of wood outside of the hut caught flame and the villages yelled. Toothless shot a plasma blast onto the bucket set up over the pile, part of the fire prevention, and the flames were put out quickly. Alrek whirled and stopped when he saw Hiccup's face. Something on it must have stopped Alrek because he paused for a moment, but anger quickly returned to his face.

"Give me the girl, or I'll burn your village down. I've done it before and I'll do it again" he said, and Scout's words echoed in Hiccup's head.

_They burned everything._

_People were screaming, I can still hear them screaming…_

_I don't know what happened to my parents, but there were bodies…_

Rage pumped through Hiccup like a wave, and he pulled his sword from his belt. Alrek did the same with his glaive, and just before the two boys could make a move, a sharp cracking sound came from the woods behind Alrek. Both of them looked up, and underneath the trees, barely in the light from the moon stood Scout. Alrek smirked.

"There you are you little brat" he sneered, and she walked out from the treeline.

As soon as Hiccup saw Scouts face, he froze, and knew whatever happened next wouldn't be good.

Her face was red with anger, her jaws and fists were clenched and her eyes were narrow. She stalked straight at Alrek, who opened his mouth to something, and she punched him. He crumpled to the ground and she stood over him.

"Leave now" she hissed, and Alrek looked up at her, holding his jaw.

"Not until you give me what is mine" he said, and she laughed. Hiccup's blood froze at the sound. It was hollow and sounded cold. She locked her eyes on Alrek's and simply said "No".

That's when everything went crazy.


	10. Chapter 10: Fight or Flight

Chapter 10: Fight

Alrek and Scout began to circle each other, him swinging his glaive slightly, Scout holding her halberd close.

"You might as well give up now girl" he sneered, but Scout didn't reply. Instead, she swung out fast and hard with her weapon, and Alrek stumbled backwards to avoid it. The blade glided in front of his chest. He stepped back, sticking the blade of the glaive into the ground to stop him falling backwards. Scout jumped forward and swung again, this time near Alrek's head.

He ducked and moved to the side, tumbling towards the smouldering wood pile, and Scout kicked his leg out from under him. He fell with hands out right onto the wood. He cried out and leapt to his feet immediately, his left hand red from a burn. He whirled around, swapping his glaive to his other hand.

"Give me what is mine, or I won't go easy on you" he said, and a snicker echoed through the crowd of villagers. It was clear to everyone that Alrek wouldn't be able to win this fight, unless he played dirty.

"It doesn't belong to you, it never has" Scout snapped, holding her halberd close again.

"It is! I have a right to it, I have the others" he shouted back, jabbing his glaive in her direction.

"You have no right to it, you stole them! You're a thief" she yelled back, hitting his glaive's blade with her own.

All of a sudden it dawned on Hiccup what Alrek wanted. But he thought Scout said they were all gone?

"You kept one! I know you have it, your father told me you had one as a gift for your birthday and I tore your house apart to find it, and do you think I could?" Alrek hissed, drawing his glaive closer, his burned hand hanging by his side.

"It's not my fault you can't use your eyes" Scout snapped, narrowing her eyes.

"Give me the last stone" Alrek yelled, and Hiccup realised he was right. Alrek _was _after a stone. But in the days that she had been in Berk, Hiccup had never seen the stone, or heard her talk about any of the stones besides the day she told the village her story.

"Just give it to me and I'll leave this little village in peace" Alrek spat, moving his burned hand towards his back slowly.

Scout must have noticed too because she swung her halberd upside down just as Alrek threw a dagger at her. The dagger lodged in the wooden handle in front of her eyes. People gasped as in one swift move she pulled it from the handle, span and threw it at one of Alrek's men. Hiccup's eyes followed the blade and his widened when he saw that the man she'd thrown the blade at had loaded a crossbow that was aimed at her. The blade of the dagger stuck in between the 2 risers of the crossbow, just in front of the arrow. The man holding the crossbow dropped it as if it was on fire and stepped back, the rest of Alrek's men doing the same. Scout turned back to face Alrek, her face and eyes hard.

"I am not the child I was when you ravaged and burned my village. I can fight now, and I will fight. I will fight for myself, for Sora and this village and its people" she said, raising her head.

Alrek looked around, at the villagers, and Hiccup did the same. He saw that while the villagers were frowning, they were directing their gaze at Alrek, and Hiccup knew whose side they were on.

Alrek spoke again, and this time his voice was quiet.

"I just want the stone" he said, and Scout shook her head.

"I don't know what happened to it, unless someone hid it well. Maybe even in plain sight" she said, and Hiccup frowned slightly. Nothing she wore resembled the stones of which she had spoken, but she was smart.

Alrek frowned, his glaive still twirling in his hand like a nervous twitch.

"So….you don't have the stone." He said, turning slightly.

"You never had the stone, so I've wasted 10 years hunting you down and you don't have it" he said, walking slowly.

Scout watched him, as did the other villagers.

"I don't have it. So leave" she said, and Alrek laughed manically. Hiccup's eyes widened at the laugh. Alrek sounded completely unhinged. Alrek whirled around.

"You think I'd follow you for 10 years for a stone just to leave when I find out you don't have it? You think me a fool?!" he screamed, swinging his glaive at her. Scout ducked to avoid losing her head and stepped back, spinning her halberd the right way around. He ran at her just as she'd span her halberd around and he hit it with his blade and it snapped in two.

For a second everything seemed to freeze. Hiccup saw Scouts' eyes widen as she stepped back, half of her halberd in each hand. He saw Alrek starting to spin his arm back around again to strike. He saw Astrid step out from the shadows with her axe. Then everything sped back up.

Astrid yelled to Scout, who dropped and rolled over to her, landing on her back. Astrid threw her axe to Scout and for a second both girls looked at each other. Alrek yelled and ran over to Scout, who raised the axe to stop the glaive piercing her leg. Just as Alrek raised the glaive again, a blast of purple fire exploded from Toothless and hit the glaive's handle, making Alrek drop the glaive. It landed in the ground next to Scout's face, cutting her cheek. She gasped and kicked out with her foot which connected with Alrek's chest and he fell down. Scout scrambled up and grabbed his glaive out of the ground. She turned and handed Astrid back her axe, and the two girls smiled quickly at each other. Alrek stirred on the ground, and Hiccup knew it was time to step in. He walked between the two girls and Alrek, Toothless curling around him.

"It's time you leave" he said angrily, and Alrek looked at him. He looked defeated, and Hiccup almost felt sorry for him. But then that guilty feeling went away.

Alrek stood slowly to his feet, clutching his ribs. He pointed at Scout, who still held his glaive.

"You win this time, but not next time" he said, and as he walked away, Sora swooped down from the trees, picked him up and threw him over the cliff into the water. His men gasped and the villagers ran to the side. They saw him hit the water, and come to the surface a moment later, yelling. The villagers and their dragons came out from the shadows to get Alrek's men. His men, led by the one who had the crossbow, ran quickly back towards the dock without looking back for fear of being thrown themselves.

Scout laughed and ran to Sora as she landed. She gave her dragon a hug and her dragon purred.

"Getting slow there old girl" Scout smiled, before turning to face Hiccup.

"I'm sorry about all that" she said embarrassed, pushing her ponytail back over her shoulder. Her face was flushed and she didn't look him in the eyes until he didn't answer. When she looked up she saw him grinning.

"They were some pretty fancy moves" Hiccup said, and Scout smiled slightly.

"Thanks" she said, still red. Scout then turned to Astrid, who was also smiling.

"Thanks for helping me back there" she said, and Astrid smiled wider.

"Just wanted to show him girls can fight" she said, and the two girls smiled back at each other.

_This, _Hiccup thought, _could be interesting._


	11. Chapter 11: Aftermath

Chapter 11: Aftermath

After they ensured that all of Alrek's men had gone, the villagers rejoiced. The children emerged from the trees, after being protected by Sora until she sensed the fight was over. That same night Gobber helped Scout mend her halberd, and they melted down Alrek's glaive to make a new dagger that Scout kept on Sora's saddle. A few days later and the wood pile had been replenished, and the looters almost seemed like a bad dream, and things were changing.

Scout was teaching Astrid some of her fighting stances, and Astrid was showing her how to wield an axe, and both were getting along well. It amazed Hiccup at first, but then he was grateful. This was allowing him to slowly patch things up with Astrid through Scout, and it seemed to be working. The day after the looters left, Scout said she'd meet him at the island where they'd spoken a few days earlier. He went, and found Astrid there, who quietly told him Scout had told her the same thing. And he knew why.

_It was better to tell people what I thought and felt before I couldn't._

So he did. He told Astrid he missed her, that he would try and make more time for her, and when she admitted the same and that he wasn't boring, he felt a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Slowly things were being patched between them, and the fact that Astrid and Scout were getting along made things better. She was a good friend, and a good fighter and she'd be a good asset to Berk. He'd just have to ask her to stay.

The sun was just rising when Hiccup and Toothless found Scout packing her belongings onto Sora. He tried to sneak up on her, but she turned around and smiled.

"How do you do that? I thought you were half-deaf" he joked, and she rolled her eyes.

"I am, which means my other ear does the work of 2" she said, turning back to Sora's saddle. It was silent for a moment as she tightened a satchel to Sora's saddle. Then Hiccup spoke.

"Are you leaving?" he asked quietly, and Scout stopped. She didn't answer, just nodded. Hiccup laughed and she looked at him.

"What?"

"You're not leaving" he said, and she frowned.

"Yes I am"

"Why?"

"Because I caused trouble and I'll probably keep causing trouble"

"That's why you belong on Berk" he said, and she looked at him, her blue eyes wide.

"Are you asking me to stay?" she said, and he nodded.

"Gobber likes having someone to help him, and Astrid likes having someone she can actually fight with, and the children will miss your stories" he said, reaching out to touch Sora's face.

"Plus, Toothless will miss Sora" he said, and Scout hit her head with her hand.

"Oh Gods, I was so preoccupied with leaving so I wouldn't cause trouble I didn't think of Toothless and Sora" she said, and Sora rolled her eyes. Hiccup laughed.

"So it's decided. We have to keep the last Night Furies together" he said, and Scout sighed before smiling and nodded.

"Sounds like a deal" she said, and then she pointed at a ring on Sora's saddle.

"What?" Hiccup asked.

"Look at it" and he bent down to look, Toothless mimicking him again.

On closer inspection, it wasn't metal rings connecting Sora's saddle altogether. Instead, it was stone that sparkled in the rising sun. Hiccup gasped.

"You did have the stone"

"Of course I had the stone, it just wasn't a stone. It turns out it was really easy to shape it, I'm not sure what exactly it is but it's mine, not Alrek's" she said, and Hiccup nodded, rising.

"Very pretty saddle for a girl" he joked, and she punched his arm laughing. Sora roared and Toothless copied, and both dragons put their heads together, closing their eyes. Scout's face broke into one of pure joy and Hiccup grinned.

They stood for moment and watched the sun break over the horizon.

Then Scout spoke.

"What do you think Night Fury eggs look like?"

**THE END**

Thank you to everyone for reading this story. As my first story it really means a lot to know that people like and enjoy my work. Thank you all so very much xo


End file.
